Stiffening an oil soaked holster

[DeaconKC]

Okay guys, got a nice looking holster that was heavily oiled in it's plastic bag. I did the hot water shaping and it stiffened up a bit, but is still very prone to collapsing, making it tough to reholster when on the line. Anybody got a good suggestion as what to do, I have a matching holster for the other side, so I don't want to write it off.

[Rube Burrows]

Okay guys, got a nice looking holster that was heavily oiled in it's plastic bag. I did the hot water shaping and it stiffened up a bit, but is still very prone to collapsing, making it tough to reholster when on the line. Anybody got a good suggestion as what to do, I have a matching holster for the other side, so I don't want to write it off.

You can put it in the oven at 200 for approximately 20 min. That will harden the leather some after it sits for 24 hours.

[Marshal Will Wingam]

If you can't figure out anything else, you might try a little Mop-N-Glo in some water. Experiment a little because too much could make the leather rough enough to scratch the finish on your pistol. I think I tried 1 part to 10 parts water and it was pretty darn stiff but that was on un-oiled leather. I don't know how it would work with the oiled holster.

[St. George]

Unscented cat litter or 'Oil-Dry' will pull much of the oil out - it won't be overnight, but it'll do the job.

Vaya,

Scouts Out!

[Graveyard Jack]

Once it's soaked in that much oil, the damage is done.

[Davem]

You don't want to cook and shrink the leather.  You also don't want the leather shrinking so tight around the gun that the traditional look of a western holster is destroyed.  Oil the gun and wrap in plastic.  Now crunch up aluminum foil to round out the general shape, especially in front of the cylinder and along the top of the barrel back of the front sight.  Now put that in a plastic bag and another plastic bag. Soak the leather in rubbing alcoholic and fit in the gun and LEAVE IT ALONE for a few days to dry out.

[Reverend P. Babcock Chase]

Howdy Deacon,

I've never had a first hand problem like this, so this may sound a little simple, but it might save a lot of experimentation. I might try stuffing the holster with newspaper (if you even get one anymore). That might pull enough oil out over time to solve the problem.

If the above doesn't get the job done, you can always try something more extreme.

This advice is worth every penny you paid for it.
Rev Chase

[Niederlander]

Don't know if it works on the oil in leather, but it works on gun stocks.  Wrap it in paper towels and lay it on the dash of the pickup in the sun.  That will pull a lot of it out and soak it into the paper towels.  For what it's worth..............(probably not much.)